ANTALYA (Turkiye) - The Basketball Champions League field will be set at the end of this week, as 24 teams fight for the last four tickets to the Regular Season.
The Qualification Round includes four tournaments, held at the Gloria Sports Arena in Turkiye.
Who is playing in Tournament 4?
There are six clubs in this tournament, with the same format as in the previous editions of the Basketball Champions League Qualifiers. Four teams will play the Quarter-Finals round, while two await in the Semis.
In tournament 4, MoraBanc Andorra from Spain take on Windrose Giants Antwerp from Belgium in the Quarter-Finals, with the winner moving into the Semis against the German powerhouse Telekom Baskets Bonn.
In the other part of the bracket, Spartak Office Shoes from Serbia face off with Uniclub Casino - Juventus from Lithuania. Whoever wins that battle will play against Banco di Sardegna Sassari in the Semis.
Has anybody played the BCL Regular Season before?
Telekom Baskets Bonn have played the Regular Season five times so far, culminating with their incredible run to the BCL championship in 2023.
Banco di Sardegna Sassari have played in seven seasons of the competition, their best result coming back in season one, as they made the Quarter-Finals of the BCL in 2017.
Windrose Giants Antwerp have had two BCL campaigns, reaching and hosting the Final Four in 2019.
Uniclub Casino - Juventus made the Regular Season twice, in 2016-17 and 2017-18, but could not reach the Round of 16 phase.
Who are the players to watch in this Tournament?
MoraBanc Andorra have a star studded lineup, but perhaps the name to follow is Jerrick Harding, the lefty guard who averaged 20.8 points per game with Nymburk in the BCL in 2021-22.
Banco di Sardegna Sassari brought a change of scenery for one of the best guards in the French league over the past four seasons. Justin Bibbins is coming to the island after a season with 15.2 points and 5.1 assists per game with Nanterre 92.
Spartak Office Shoes have put together a strong roster to chase a first ever BCL campaign, and Kaza Kajami-Keane could be their go-to guy after leading Niners Chemnitz to the FIBA Europe Cup title as the Final MVP.
Uniclub Casino - Juventus have a player on their roster who is absolutely a BCL legend. Gediminas Orelik was probably the second most important player for Banvit as they reached the Final Four in the first BCL season, and now he's set for a return at 34 years of age.
Telekom Baskets Bonn once again went through a lot of changes, but Thomas Kennedy is still on the roster, a certified double-double machine in the middle.
Finally, Windrose Giants Antwerp's 21-year-old point guard deserves a mention. Jo Van Buggenhout is entering his second season with Antwerp, and he already had respectable numbers in his first run, 7.8 points and 4.9 assists per game while playing just under 24 minutes. Expect a bigger role for him this time around.